Beachfront Showhouse with a Beautiful, Calm Palette

Slide 1 Of Beachfront Showhouse with a Beautiful, Calm Palette

Cultural Arts Alliance Showhouse
Alys Beach, Florida

The Alys Beach Designer Showhouse, designed by the Tallahassee architecture firm of Huffman Tarmey Architecture, is new construction. This 3,456-square foot courtyard home with four bedrooms and three and a half baths, has a wonderful flow between spaces, yet each room has definition to allow each designer to create a unique environment. To create the sense of cohesiveness you might find in the home of a single homeowner, the designers all agreed to use a soothing beachfront-inspired palette of neutrals with accents of color adding visual interest.

The Kitchen color cues come from the blue tile backsplash that was installed. The light blue color was used throughout the kitchen to accent the space. Designer Holly Floyd Shipman warmed the room with textures and tones from nature.

This worn glass bottle accentuates the blend of old and new used in the kitchen. Holly Shipman said she wanted to make the kitchen look collected, as if the family had been living in their beach home for years.

Continuing with the natural theme in the kitchen, the limed oak breakfast table pays homage to driftwood that would be found on the beach. "A beach home should be a place where you can relax. Incorporating age and nature automatically makes it more serene," says Shipman.

Massey topped the stone floor that runs throughout the entire house with a large rug made of alpaca, which serves as an outline for the placement of worn, rustic furniture. Cerulean blue introduces a sense of fashion and ties the space back to the ocean. A leather-upholstered Chippendale chair offers a sunny spot for relaxing vacation reading, and a Venetian glass chandelier offers soft illumination at night.

The alcove in the living room is the perfect place for this table with a weathered-grey finish. Designer Susan Massey puts her stamp on the room through the details of the space, including the objects that adorn this table.

The colorful upstairs bedroom has playful touches that say "all boy" while still maintaining the sophisticated tone that is featured throughout the rest of the house. Custom turtle pillows and the draperies hung with nautical rope complete the beach house room.

A touch of glamour is added to the master suite by the mirrored bedside tables with curvy legs that flank the bed. The bed, upholstered in a taupe cotton velvet, is positioned in a carved-out niche. The elegant chandelier with a dramatic silhouette serves as a focal point for the room.